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George Colman the younger
| birth_place = | death_date = October | death_place = Brompton, London | nationality = British | education = Westminster School; Christ Church, Oxford; King's College, Aberdeen | other_names = | occupation = Playwright; examiner of plays | known_for = }} George Colman (21 October 1762 - 17 October 1836), known as "the younger", was an English poet, playwright, and theatre manager.George Colman the Younger, Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica Inc. Web, May 14, 2016. Life Overview Colman wrote or adapted numerous plays, including The Heir at Law and John Bull. He was Examiner of Plays, 1824-1836. Many of his plays are highly amusing, and keep their place on the stage. His wit made him popular in society, and he was a favourite with George IV.John William Cousin, "Colman, George the younger," A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature, 1910, 93. Web, Dec. 27, 2017. Youth and education Colman was born in London, the son of George Colman the elder. He passed from Westminster School to Christ Church, Oxford, and King’s College, Aberdeen, and was finally entered as a student of law at Lincoln’s Inn, London.Britannica, 695. While in Aberdeen he published a poem satirizing Charles James Fox, called "The Man of the People." Career In 1782 he produced, at his father’s playhouse in the Haymarket, his first play, The Female Dramatist, for which Smollett’s Roderick Random supplied the materials. It was unanimously condemned, but Two to One (1784) was entirely successful. It was followed by Turk and No Turk (1785), a musical comedy; Inkle and Yarico (1787), an opera; Ways and Means (1788); The Iron Chest (1796), taken from William Godwin’s Adventures of Caleb Williams; The Poor Gentleman (1802); John Bull; or, An Englishman’s fireside (1803), his most successful piece; The Heir at Law (1808), which enriched the stage with one immortal character, “Dr Pangloss”; and numerous other pieces, many of them adapted from the French. ]] The failing health of the elder Colman obliged him to relinquish the management of the Haymarket theatre in 1789, when the younger George succeeded him, at a yearly salary of £600. On the death of the father the patent was continued to the son; but difficulties arose in his way, he was involved in litigation with Thomas Harris, and was unable to pay the expenses of the performances at the Haymarket. He was forced to take sanctuary within the Rules of the King’s Bench. Here he resided for many years continuing to direct the affairs of his theatre. Released at last through the kindness of George IV, who had appointed him exon of the Yeomen of the Guard (a dignity disposed of by Colman to the highest bidder), he was made examiner of plays by the duke of Montrose, then lord chamberlain. This office, to the disgust of all contemporary dramatists, to whose MSS. he was as illiberal as he was severe, he held till his death. Although his own productions were open to charges of indecency and profanity, he was so severe a censor of others that he would not pass even such words as “heaven,” “providence” or “angel.” He had, as early as 1784, contracted a runaway marriage with an actress, Clara Morris, to whose brother David Morris, he eventually disposed of his share in the Haymarket theatre. Many of the leading parts in his plays were written especially for Mrs. Gibbs (née Logan), whom he was said to have secretly married after the death of his 1st wife. Colman, whose witty conversation made him a favourite, He died in Brompton, London, on the 17th of October 1836. Writing on 27 September 1803 of "the favorite new Comedy of John Bull, Or An Englishman's Fire-side. Written by G. COLEMAN, Esq, and performed already forty nights this Season; and now performing with encreasing Reputation and unbounded Applause."]] His comedies are a curious mixture of genuine comic force and sentimentality. A collection of them was published (1827) in Paris, with a life of the author, by J.W. Lake. Colman was also the author of a great deal of so-called humorous poetry (mostly coarse, though much of it was popular) — My Night Gown and Slippers (1797), reprinted under the name of Broad Grins, in 1802; and Poetical Vagaries (1812). Some of his writings were published under the assumed name of Arthur Griffinhood of Turnham Green. Literary hoaxes After his death, Colman was falsely stated to have been the author of certain pornographic works. The Rodiad, on flagellation, was published by John Camden Hotten in 1871, falsely dated to 1810 and ascribed to Colman. The true author seems to have been Richard Monckton Milnes, 1st Baron Houghton. Canadian author John Glassco maintained and extended the hoax in 1967 by repeating the attribution and also claiming that his own Squire Hardman had been written by Colman. Publications Poetry *''My Night-gown and Slippers; or, Tales in verse; written in an elbow-chair''. London: T. Cadell & W. Davies, 1797. *''Broad Grins: Comprising, with additional tales, those published under the title of 'My nightgown and slippers'. London: W. Flint, for T. Cadell & W. Davies, 1802. *Eccentricities for Edinburgh. Edinburgh: J. Ballantyne, 1810, 1816. *Poetical Vagaries; including Broad Grins'. London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, & Brown, 1812. *''Vagaries Vindicated; or, Hypocritick hypercriticks. London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, & Brown, 1813. *''Poetical Vagaries / Vagaries Vindicated. London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, & Brown, 1814 *Poetical Works. London: John Leighton, 1840. *''Poetical Vagaries / Vagaries Vindicated. New York: Garland, 1976. Plays *''Two to one: A comic opera, in three acts''. London: T. Cadell, 1785; Dublin: W. Wilson, 1785. *''Inkle and Yarico: An opera, in three acts. London: G.G.J. & J. Robinon, 1788. *''Ways and Means; or, A trip to Dover: A comedy, in three acts. London: G.G.J. & J. Robinon, 1788. *''The Family Party: A comic piece, in two acts''. London: J. Debrett, 1789. *''The Battle of Hexham; or, Days of old: A play, in three acts. 1789; Dublin: P. Byrne, 1790. *The Surrender of Calais: A play, in three acts. 1791; Dublin: P. Byrne, 1792. *''Poor Old Haymarket; or, Two sides of the gutter: A prelude. 1792. *''The Mountaineers: A play, in three acts''. London: privately published, 1794; London: J. Debrett, 1795. *''Sylvester Daggerwood; or, New hay at the old market: An occasional drama, in one act. London: W. Woodfall, for T. Cadell & W. Davies, 1795. *The Iron Chest: A play, in three acts. London: W. Woodall, for T. Cadell, 1796; Dublin: Thomas Burnside, for P. Wogan, J. Rice, & G. Folingsby, 1796. *The Heir at Law: A comedy, in five acts. London: Thomas Hailes Lacey, 1797. *''Blue Beard; or, Female curiosity: A dramatick romance. London: T. Woodfall, for Cadell & Davies, 1798. *''Feudal Times; or, The banquet-gallery: A drama, in two acts''. London: T. Woodfall, for Cadell & Davies, 1799. *''The Review; or, The wags of Windsor: A musical farce, in two acts. London: J.H. Cumberland, 1800. *The Poor Gentleman: A comedy, in five acts. London: T.H. Lacy, 1801; London: A. Strachan, for T. Longman & O. Rees, 1802. *John Bull: or the Englishman's fireside: A comedy in three acts. London: T.H. Lacy, 1803. *''Love Laughs at Locksmiths: A comic opera, in two acts. London: T. Woodroof, 1803. *''Who Wants a Guinea? A comedy, in five acts''. London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, & Orme, 1805. *''We Fly by Night; or, Long stories: A musical farce''. London: M. Kelly, 1806. *''Blue Devils: A farce, in one act. London: W. Burton, for John Cawthorn, & James Cawthorn, 1808. *''The Africans; or, Love, war and duty: A play, in three acts. London: John Cumberland, 1808. *''The Gay Deceivers; or, More laugh than love: A farce, in two acts''. London: D. Deans, for John Cawthorn & James Cawthorn, 1808. *''XYZ: A farce, in two acts''. Dublin: 1820. *''The Actor of All Work; or, The first and second floor: A farce, in one act. New York: R.M. Munden, 1822. *''The Dramatic Works (edited by J.W. Lake). (4 volumes), Paris: Baudry, Bobée & Hingray, 1827. *''The Plays'' (edited by Peter Tasch). New York: Garland, 1981. *''Plays by George Colman the Younger and Thomas Merton'' (edited by Barry Sutcliffe). Cambridge, UK, New York, & Melbourne: Cambridge University Press, 1983. Non-fiction *''Random Records''. (2 volumes), London: H. Colburn & R. Bentley, 1830. Volume I, Volume II Collected editions *''Broad Grins, My Night-gown and Slippers, and other humorous works, prose and poetical(edited by G.B. Buckstone). London: John Camden Hotton, 1872. Edited *Posthumous Letters, from Various Celebrated Men: ddressed to Francis Colman and George Colman the elder. London: T. Cadell & W. Davies, 1820. ''Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:George Colman 1836, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, May 14, 2016. See also *List of British poets *List of English-language playwrights References * Notes External links ;Poems *George Colman the Younger (1762-1836) info & 2 poems) at English Poetry, 1579-1830 *George Colman the younger at Poetry Nook (105 poems) ;Books * ;About *George Colman the Younger in the Encyclopædia Britannica * Colman, George (1762-1836) in the Dictionary of National Biography * Original article is at Colman, George Category:1762 births Category:1836 deaths Category:English poets Category:English dramatists and playwrights Category:People educated at Westminster School, London Category:Alumni of the University of Aberdeen Category:English male dramatists and playwrights Category:English male poets Category:Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Category:19th-century poets Category:English-language poets Category:Poets Category:Humorous poets